


And On The 192,874,872nd Day, God Said: Let There Be Sexual Tension!

by captainrighthook



Series: Alternia University & Beforus High [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, I promise, It's not rape, M/M, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 07:16:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1419358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainrighthook/pseuds/captainrighthook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The European Cultures class takes a visit to Italy, one of the most romantic cities in the world.</p><p>Shenanigans ensue!</p><p>WARNING: THERE IS SOME SEXUAL ASSAULT BUT IT IS **BRIEF** AND THE PERSON DOING IT GETS THE STUFFING BEAT OUT OF THEM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And On The 192,874,872nd Day, God Said: Let There Be Sexual Tension!

After freshman year, Kankri Vantas transferred from Beforus College to Alternia University. There were many reasons that he left, the main ones being this: Beforus wasn’t a very safe place to be, and Kankri’s beyond-super-religious father didn’t feel comfortable with his son going to a college that wasn’t near a church. Kankri was given a few options, but his best friend Porrim Maryam attends Alternia University, and they haven’t seen each other in what seems like forever.

One of the classes that they’re in together focuses on European Cultures. A few months in to the year, the class decides they would like to take an extensive fieldtrip. 90% of the class expresses interest in going on a tour to Italy. The other 10% either wanted to go to England or France… or they didn’t care either way. Even at the age of 19 or 20, all students in the class were assigned roommates purely for safety reasons. There were a few other reasons that Kankri had read about, but he completely forgot them. Either that or his brain decided that it was useless information and blocked it from entering long-term memory.

Kankri would have loved to be able to stay with Porrim, but for obvious reasons the only rooms available were same gender. Upon arrival to Italy, they were transported to their hotel where they convened in a conference room to talk before retiring to their respective rooms and sleeping off the jet-lag. In the conference room is where they were all given envelopes with more information regarding who they would be staying with, more details about the trip, and their plastic room keys. Kankri does not waste any time in getting to his room; he doesn’t even bother to look at who he’s rooming with. And when he gets in the room, nobody is there.

Kankri dumps his stuff on the bed near the windows and adjourns to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. His pajamas consist of a white t-shirt and black sweatpants in lieu of his regular jeans and big, comfortable red sweater. When he gets out of the bathroom he decides he wishes to read a little bit before sleeping. The main reason he does this is because he wants to see (in person, not on paper) who he’s staying with. He isn’t sure how long he’s been reading when he hears the door open. With a racing heart and a woozy head, he looks up cautiously and his stomach bottoms out… Cronus Ampora.

Cronus Ampora arrives at his room after spending an hour or so outside, just smoking and listening to himself breathe. When it starts to get dark, he decides it’s time to head inside. He had looked at the name of the boy he’d be staying with but he didn’t recognize it: Kankri Vantas. Personally, Cronus had wished that mixed-gender rooms existed since he wanted to stay with that really pretty girl that always hung around Porrim Maryam.

Cronus could just picture her; the one with the silky, short black hair that sometimes wore thick-framed glasses. She always had on adorably big, red sweaters and black skinny jeans. It didn’t hurt that the girl had an incredible ass and perfectly shaped legs. Her hands were soft and delicate with thin fingers that Cronus thought would look so perfect wrapped around his throbbing—  She was soft-spoken and shy and mysterious and everything that Cronus found interesting; she even had a tattoo on the back of her right forearm. It was a zodiac sign for Cancer and it was candy red and shaped like a crab. The crab was in the ocean with purple waves visible just above its head. For some odd reason, Cronus was in love with the picture. So it came as a huge surprise when Cronus got into his room and saw that exact same, beautiful, delicate girl sitting on the bed, head buried in a book.

Cronus stands there for an awkward second before saying, “Hi…”

“Hello,” Kankri responds quietly. To be honest, Cronus Ampora was the _last_ person that Kankri wanted to see walk through that door. In fact, the reason that Kankri didn’t look at who he was rooming with was because he was afraid that it might be him. It’s not that Cronus is a bad guy! No that’s not it at all. It’s just… well; Kankri has this guilty not-so-little crush on him and he was conflicted with how he should deal with it. He knew what his father would say. He knew he would hear an hour long lecture about how disgusting and unnatural it is for two men to be together. He also knew what Porrim would say. She’d tell him that he shouldn’t worry about what anyone else says, and that if his not-so-little crush develops into something more, he needs to do something about it. Now, Porrim wasn’t overly fond of Cronus Ampora, but she could see what Kankri might like in him, and Porrim wouldn’t dare oppose anyone that her precious Kankri held near and dear to his heart.

Porrim and Kankri’s father were very important people in his life, and he desperately wanted to please them both. But he also had to think of himself. He was just going to have to play it cool, which he was actually rather good at.

It’s awkwardly silent as Cronus sets down his stuff and then goes into the bathroom. As Kankri goes back to reading, he can hear the shower running and for some reason it makes his stomach clench. Maybe it’s because the boy he fell madly in like with was just a few yards away and completely naked. Maybe it’s because… wait. There really is no other explanation. Naked boys turn Kankri’s crank, and there’s nothing he can do about it even if he wanted to.

Kankri is still reading by the time that Cronus gets out of the shower and shuffles into the room. In the most discrete manner possible, he sneaks a glance over at Cronus and feels his stomach do a little back flip. Wrapped only in a towel that hung rather _low_ on his hips, Cronus searched through his stuff for clothes to wear. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Kankri looking at him with interest and smiles inwardly; it is true that he was aesthetically perfect due to his swimmers body, but he still felt that he paled in comparison to the soft, somewhat-feminine beauty that Kankri had. The fact that Kankri notices him makes his internal Act-Like-A-Little-Girl alarms go off like crazy.

Cronus returns to the bathroom to change, and when he reenters the room, he’s frowning slightly as he tries to towel-dry his hair. After a while he gives up, tossing the towel aside, slipping into his bed, and glancing over at his roommate. Kankri was just putting his book down when he hears Cronus address him. “So… you’re Kankri Vantas.”

Kankri pauses and looks up at him, swallowing hard. “And you are Cronus Ampora.”

“Yeah…” Cronus mutters, feeling suddenly self-conscious under the other boy’s scrutiny. There’s a short silence before Kankri clears his throat and quietly says, “Well, I am going to sleep now. Goodnight… Cronus.” Kankri turns off his light and sinks down into his pillows, facing the other way in an attempt to distract himself from the fact that Cronus Ampora—the boy who occupies his wet dreams—was almost within spitting distance.

“G’night,” Cronus murmurs softly. He watches Kankri for a while before copying his actions and rolling over to go to bed.

When Cronus wakes up the next morning, Kankri is already gone and his bed is made. The sheets are pulled perfectly straight, there’s a pile of neatly folded pajamas placed on the bed in a tiny square, and the pillows are positioned perfectly against the headboard. To be completely honest, Cronus hadn’t gotten much sleep. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the last six months of his life had been a lie.

Kankri Vantas is the pretty girl with dark hair, fair skin, and wide, innocent green eyes framed by long, thick eyelashes. The girl whose lips are always positioned into a shy smile, and keeps their gaze below eye-level. Kankri Vantas is the pretty girl that Cronus had grown _extremely_ fond of from afar and longed to touch more than anything in the world. Then again, there was one little problem.

Kankri Vantas wasn’t a girl.

Cronus was bisexual—more heterosexual than homosexual—and it’s true that he would occasionally have a crush on a guy or even desire to be in a relationship with them. Was he ashamed of it? Absolutely not! However, there now occurred a new problem.

Was Kankri? Was he okay with the thought of being more than friends with another boy? Of course he was, but Cronus didn’t know that. 

Did Kankri even _like_ Cronus in that way? Of course he did, but Cronus didn’t know that. There was only one thing that Cronus _did_ know with absolute certainty. Was Kankri terrified of what his overly-religious father would say? Of course he was.

Cronus sighs and rubs his hands over his face.

It’s going to be a long trip.

Downstairs at breakfast, Kankri sits (sour faced) across from his best friend.

“Honestly Kankri,” Porrim says, rolling her eyes. “Do you know _anything_?”

“Well, I know that your comments are rude and could be taken as highly offensive,” Kankri mutters angrily. He truly did love Porrim from the bottom of his heart, but damn was she rude! To Kankri, the only thing Porrim cared about was her own opinions. Naturally he was wrong, but in his mind, Porrim would always be obsessed with being right. Just like him.

“ _Please_ ,” Porrim scoffs before taking a sip of coffee, “Don’t even start with that bullshit.”

“It’s not _bullshit_ Porrim, and you know that.” Kankri offers in a clearly decisive manner; he was not looking to discuss the matter further. She was being out of line. “My concerns towards other people are completely valid, and I will not tolerate you telling me otherwise.”

“Fine!” She tells him, throwing her hands in the air, “Even though I think you’re wrong, I’m not gonna get into it…” Then she went back to eating her toast. Under her breath, she quietly added, “…right now.”

“I look forward to the discussion,” Kankri tells her in an unconvincing tone. They’re both silent, eating in seething quietness. After a second, Porrim says, “Are we really going to disagree over this?”

“We disagree about most things,” he points out quietly.

“I know, but – but _this_? It’s really not necessary.”

“Quite obviously it is,” Kankri tells her, still upset. “I mean, there is no way that I would ever think that Rose Tyler was a good companion for the Doctor. By far, the best companion that there ever was, was Donna Noble.”

Porrim’s jaw drops in shock, “She doesn’t even remember him!”

“That may be true, but where’s Rose, Porrim? Gone! Stuck in another dimension. Such a good companion, if I do say so myself.” It was a good point and Porrim knew it; honestly, even though Rose didn’t really have a say in the matter, if she had just been a little bit smarter, than she wouldn’t be in another dimension and it ultimately wouldn’t be a problem. Donna, on the other hand, was being very smart and helpful and due to a brave sacrifice, had to have her memory wiped or else her head would explode or something like that.

Porrim is going to retort when a voice interrupts them.

“You’re both wrong. Captain Jack Harkness was the best companion.” At the table across from Porrim and Kankri, Cronus Ampora sits, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth as he frowns down at the newspaper in his hand. Porrim gives Kankri a knowing look, and Kankri narrows his eyes at her.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that, Porrim,” he grits out through his teeth. Cronus’ eyes flicker towards them and back at the paper. After taking a deep breath, Porrim asks, “What makes you say that Jack’s the best?”

Cronus shrugs, still more invested in his paper than in the conversation at hand, “I don’t see any other companions with spin-off shows. Besides, even if it’s just rumor, he’s obviously the Face of Boe.” Okay now _that_ was a better point than what Kankri or Porrim had said. Based on popularity and bravery, Captain Jack Harkness could arguably be the best companion that the Doctor has ever had.

“Hey Cronus,” Porrim asks him.

Cronus’ voice is quiet when he replies, “Yes?”

After a moment of hesitation, Porrim continues, “You should sit by us.” Kankri looks mortified by what she has suggested, but doesn’t say anything. Cronus looks up at her and then over at Kankri before putting down the paper and standing up and reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and holds it up.

“Sorry…” Then he walks away and runs a hand through his hair. Thank Gog that Kankri can’t see his face anymore; it’s as red as cherry. Kankri doesn’t notice that he’s staring at Cronus’ ass until Porrim elbows him and starts to laugh.

“It’s not funny, Porrim.” Kankri insists. “It’s actually a rather large problem.”

“ _You’re_ a rather large problem,” she giggles.

“Sometimes I marvel at your immaturity.”

 

***                    **                     *                       **                     ****

 

In the late afternoon, Kankri is alone and walking through the village. The sun is shining and there’s a cool breeze that makes him shiver. There are rows of shops on either side of him; a bakery, a coffee shop, a few clothing stores, and even a place that specialized in selling only hand-woven scarves and knit caps. However, an adorable little gelato place at the end of the street catches his eye and he feels his stomach growl.

 _Hmm_ , he thinks. _Gelato does sound appealing… even though I haven’t eaten yet_. Kankri shrugs and decides to just go for it. When he arrives inside the store, he’s surprised to see that the place is actually pretty crowded. After waiting in a short line, he steps up to the counter and orders a scoop of vanilla before moving to the end of the counter to pick up his order and pay.

Dish in hand, he turns to find a place to sit and notices Cronus sitting at a table near the window reading a book with a half-full cup of green colored gelato. It makes him nervous, but he can’t make it obvious and he can’t go sit down with him (which is purely out of fear from earlier that day when he basically ran away from having to sit with Kankri and Porrim). Kankri notices that the only table that’s really open is a small corner booth that would only seat one person on each side.

Sighing in annoyance, he decides that he’ll sit there anyway. After sliding into the seat, he tucks some hair behind his ear before staring down into his gelato and frowning. He shrugs and picks up the spoon, starting to eat little by little. Kankri doesn’t even realize that someone has sat down across from him until a voice enters his consciousness.

“ _E la tua gelato delizioso_?” Kankri jumps slightly and when he glances up, he sees a rather attractive Italian boy smiling warmly at him; he blushes and laughs nervously. Luckily, he’s fluent in Italian; now what was it he had said? Oh he asked, ‘Is your gelato delicious?’

“Yes,” Kankri replies with a shy smile. “It is. Thank you for asking.”

“Oh! You are American?” The boy’s accent is thick and heavy and just as delicious as the gelato, especially in Kankri’s opinion. He blushes when he realizes the connection he’s made and then shakes his head slightly.

“That is correct,” Kankri confirms with a small, decisive nod. After a while of Kankri blushing like a madman and the Italian boy smiling at him flirtatiously, Kankri asks him, “Can I help you?”

“I jus’ notice you sitting,” the boy tells him quietly. “To me you look-a so lonely an’ _cosi bello che il mio cuore si scioglie_.” Wait, what does that mean? Hmm. Oh! To him, Kankri looks so lonely and ‘so beautiful that my heart melts’. Damn. Even though his face had just started to return to normal colour, Kankri turns tomato red and giggles (he actually fucking giggled).

“Well, thank you but I’m not really—”

“ _Per favore_!” The boy stops him, “I will-a not have talking of _parole non vere_.” He will not have talking of ‘untrue words’. Kankri is seconds away from replying, but something in the corner of his eye distracts him; it’s Cronus… glaring at him. Confusedly, he looks at Cronus only to see the other boy stand up in frustration and storm towards the door. Just before he leaves, his eyes flicker to the Italian boy and then back to Kankri, and there’s a fleeting moment where Kankri swears he can see genuine hurt in Cronus’ eyes.

“Uh…” Kankri looks at the boy across from him and then back at the door where Cronus had just left. He doesn’t know what he should do. Should he go after Cronus or should he just stay there? The thought of not doing anything to make Cronus feel better makes him want to throw up. So he stands up and nervously says, “I-I’m sorry, I have to go.”

As he starts to leave, he feels a hand on his wrist and turns back to look.

“ _Non mi lasciare, bellissima_ _sconosciuta_!” And that means… ‘Don’t leave me, beautiful stranger!’ Fuck. Kankri had really hoped to avoid a conversation like this. He didn’t have time to sit here; he had to go after Cronus.

“I’m sorry!” Kankri runs to the door, dodging in and out between strangers, saying “ _excuse_ _me_ ” every two seconds until he reaches the exit.

Outside, Kankri runs down the narrow street, searching high and low, looking _everywhere_ for Cronus. But he can’t find him. Kankri turns a corner and runs right into Porrim who was walking along with a pretty lady and holding her hand.  Kankri would have to talk to her about that later, even though he knew it would lead to a discussion on slut-shaming, but for the moment he really needed her.

“Porrim!” Kankri breathes exhaustedly.

“Whoa!” Porrim puts a hand on his shoulder in order to steady him. “Calm down there, Kanny!” Then she turns to the girl next to her and says, “ _Lo parlero con te piu tardi, il mio amore_.” She had said, ‘I’ll talk to you later, my love.’ The girl smiles at her and then at Kankri before walking away. “Okay now what’s the emergency?”

“Have you seen Cronus anywhere?”

Her brows furrow, “No, why do you ask?”

The explanation spills from Kankri’s lips without his consent, “I was in the gelato shop and this random Italian guy sat down across from me and…” he stops, his face turning red.

“And? And what, Kankri? Did he hurt you? Did he insult you?!” He can slowly see her getting more and more aggressive and decides that it would be a bad idea to have an angry Porrim on his hands.

“No! Nothing like that,” he assures her. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

Porrim has a smug look on her face when she asks him, “Ah, I understand. He was hitting on you, wasn’t he?”

“He was definitely ‘hitting on me’, but that’s not the point!” Kankri rolls his eyes, “Cronus was also in the shop but he was sitting a few tables away from me and in the middle of my conversation with this random guy, I notice Cronus get really upset and storm out.” He shrugs with a lost look on his face. “It was odd and rather uncomfortable for me, but if I did anything to trigger him, I need to apologize.”

“And what makes you think you triggered him in some way?”

“The look in his eyes… he seemed so hurt. So betrayed. I don’t understand.”

“Interesting…” Porrim says quietly, tapping her chin lightly.

“How do you mean?” Kankri asks, seemingly confused.

“Eh, it’s nothing,” she shrugs. It is definitely not _nothing_ but she decides that now really isn’t the best time to get into it. She’ll say something later. “I’m sure he’s fine, and besides you’ll see him tonight, won’t you?”

Kankri’s face relaxes but he still looks uneasy, “I suppose so.”

“Good, now quit worrying and come have dinner with me!”

Later that night, Porrim finds Cronus out on the hotel patio, all by himself, smoking a cigarette. As she sits beside him, he looks at her in a confused manner but doesn’t say anything. Porrim pulls out her own pack of cigarettes and lights one. She inhales deeply and breathes out in much-needed bliss.

“You smoke?” Cronus asks her.

“I certainly do,” she says before taking another drag. “Why? Is that so odd?”

“No it’s just…” he shrugs. “I never saw you ask the kind to smoke.”

“Well I do,” she says defiantly. “Quite often, actually.”

“I always thought that if you were gonna smoke anything, it’d be a cigar.”

“And what makes you say that?” Porrim narrows her eyes at him and he shrugs again.

“You’re a classy dame. If anyone was gonna smoke a fancy-shmancy Cuban…”

“I guess you have a point,” she admits reluctantly. Again, Porrim wasn’t Cronus Ampora’s biggest fan, but Kankri seemed to really like him so she would have to take one for the team. After a few moments of silence, Porrim looks at Cronus in a contemplative manner.

He returns her look with an expression of confusion, “What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, okay?” He looks scared, as he well should be.

“Before I ask, you need to understand that if you lie to me, I will kill you. Do you understand?” At first Cronus thinks she’s lying, but after a few seconds of her staring at him unblinkingly, he starts to understand the severity of what she’s about to say.

“Jegus fucking Christ,” he mutters.

“Do you… understand?”

“I got it, I got it!” He shifts uncomfortably, furiously smoking his cigarette, “Sheesh, you’d think it was a matter of international defense or somethin’!”

“It is,” she says in a deadly tone.

“Huh?” He looks at her, obviously confused.

“Earlier today, Kankri ran up to me and asked if I had seen you. I hadn’t but I was wondering what was so damn important and why he was freaking the fuck out.”

Cronus tenses and shies away from her, “…so?”

“So I asked him why he needed to find you and he told me that you got up and stormed out of the gelato shop after seeing him with a rather flirtatious Italian boy…”

“I don’t… W-why would I care?” He asks, defensive and flustered.

“I was informed that not only did you look upset, but you looked hurt. Almost betrayed.”

“ _And_?!”

She raises her eyebrow at his animosity, not amused, “Cronus, I’m more than cultured enough in matters of the heart to know jealousy when I see it.”

That one detail pushes him a little over the edge, “I’m not jealous of anyone, okay?!”

“Do you remember when I said that I would kill you if you lied to me?”

“I’m not lying!” Cronus sputters.

“Say whatever the fuck you want, but you’re not very convincing.” Then Porrim hands him a piece of paper and stands up. “What is this?”

“It’s my cell number. When you’re ready to put on your big-boy pants and man the fuck up, text me and I’ll gladly help you out.”

“Why is this such a big fucking deal to you?”

“Listen,” she starts quietly, “and if you let it slip that I told you this I actually _will_ kill you, but… Kankri seems rather, er, _fond_ of you.”

Cronus’ face goes flat and he stands up, towering over her, “For someone so against lying, you seem to be quick on the draw, _Porrim_.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Say whatever the fuck you want, but you’re not very convincing.”

Upstairs in his room, Kankri is getting changing his shirt because he spilled something sticky and wet all over it and doesn’t feel like sleeping in it. He’s about to put his shirt on when Cronus comes in, slamming the door behind him and stomping into the room. He freezes when he sees Kankri, and his eyes go wide. Kankri blushes and yanks on his shirt as fast as possible before turning around and trying to avoid Cronus’ look. Behind him, Kankri can hear Cronus make a noise of frustration, and then cringes when he hears the bathroom door shutting rather loudly.

Ten minutes later, Cronus comes out only to see Kankri lying in his bed, turned away from him. He sighs and sits on his own bed. After a few seconds he quietly says, “I’m sorry.”

Kankri doesn’t turn around, but instead just says, “It’s fine. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Actually I have to apologize for being a major asshole,” Cronus corrects him.

“You’re not an asshole…” Kankri mutters after a little-too-long silence.

“Yes I am,” Cronus laughs. “It’s okay, Kankri. You can tell me.”

There’s another silence before Kankri finally says, “Okay, I guess you were kind of being an asshole.” They both laugh slightly and Cronus tells him, “Can you turn around? I feel like you’re mad at me.”

“No,” Kankri says stubbornly. Then he clarifies, “I’m not mad at you.”

Without really thinking about it, Cronus tells him, “Say whatever the fuck you want, but you’re not very convincing.”

“Porrim says that to me all of the time,” Kankri smiles fondly and blushes; he thanks Gog and every higher deity there is that Cronus can’t see his face.

“Ah Porrim…” Cronus says warmheartedly. Then he shivers and makes a face, “She’s a fierce lady. I don’t know how you deal with her.”

It’s silent before Kankri finally says, “I don’t. _She_ deals with me.”

“You don’t seem that difficult to deal with, if you ask me,” Cronus shrugs and puts his hands behind his head. This is nice. Just having a casual conversation and nothing too awkward. Finally they’re getting along!

“Obviously you haven’t had a conversation with me,” Kankri scoffs.

“We’re having a conversation right now,” Cronus points out.

“Well _you’re_ having a conversation right now,” Kankri says nervously. _Thank Gog I didn’t stutter_ … he thinks to himself.

“And you?” Cronus inquires curiously.

“Trying to avoid looking at you.”

“Why is that?” He feels a little offended that Kankri would be trying to avoid looking at him; he really likes looking at Kankri so why can’t Kankri look at him? Fuck. Life sucks sometimes, y’know?

Kankri contemplates not responding, but eventually he mutters, “Because…”

“Because?” Cronus asks disbelievingly.

“Because!” Kankri says loudly.

“Turn around, Kankri,” Cronus requests quite lovingly, though Kankri doesn’t notice.

“No,” he says defiantly.

“If you don’t, I’m going to throw a pillow at you.”

“I don’t care.”

“I think you’re gonna care when a pillow is hitting you in the face.”

“I think you seriously underestimate how stubborn I am.” There’s no response, and Kankri, as curious as ever, makes the mistake of looking over his shoulder. Then there’s a pillow smacking him in the face and he squeaks in an embarrassing manner. “Hey!”

“I warned you, Kan,” Cronus shrugs and smiles at him.

Kankri glares at him playfully, “Shut up.” He picks up the pillow and throws it back. Cronus catches it effortlessly and laughs when Kankri sticks his tongue out at him. He hunkers down in his pillows and frowns, “You’re a jerk.”

“Hey, I got you to look at me, didn’t I?”

“I suppose you did accomplish your objective,” Kankri admits begrudgingly. “Even if it was in a unprofessional manner,” he adds under his breath.

“I am completely professional, sir.”

“Sir? Wow, I am quite impressed with the sudden change in vernacular.”

Cronus purses his lips and narrows his eyes, “I’m just gonna pretend that I know what ‘vernacular’ means so that you don’t think I’m a dumbass.”

“I would never think that you’re a dumbass!” Kankri exclaims, sitting up in his bed. “I respect all learning curves and gaps in common or advanced knowledge,” he admits with a slightly blush. “You are perfectly entitled to use whatever jargon and phrases you find to be helpful in a certain situation. If you find it unimportant to learn the meaning of the word ‘vernacular’ than that is your decision.

“I have always found that flaws are an enigma of the universe. I mean, who’s to define what a flaw is, y’know?” Kankri shrugs, “Some people could think it’s a strength, and nobody has the right to tell them otherwise. For example, it’s true that you’re a little brainless sometimes, but that doesn’t make you unintelligent. There isn’t an accurate set standard for intelligence so how can someone say you’re less than something that doesn’t exist.” What Cronus thought was going to be a pretty insulting sentence turned out to be rather nice. But Kankri wasn’t done. Not nearly.

“Another example is your physical appearance. Some people may find the way you look to be triggering or unappealing, but I’m sure there are a great number of people who find you extremely attractive, such as myself. And it isn’t even like having a crush on someone is limited to finding their exterior appealing. Your personality is quite appealing as well, if I do say so myself.”

Cronus stares at him before breathing, “Wow…”

Kankri blushes and coughs a little, “What?”

“You’re just…” his face is in some weird kind of awe, and Kankri doesn’t really understand it at all. “I gotta do something.” He gets up and grabs his phone, dialing a number.

Right before he leaves the room, Kankri hears, “Hey Porrim? Yeah, I gotta talk to you.” It isn’t until then that Kankri realizes that he just admitted his feelings for Cronus right to his face.

 

***                    **                     *                       **                     ****

 

Nearly four days have passed in an awkward, yet inevitable, manner. Cronus and Kankri tend to make uncomfortable small talk and smiles politely at one another, but nothing they do or say can compare to that first conversation. So on the fifth day, Kankri gets up early—since he couldn’t really sleep because of Cronus and this crush that’s driving him _insane_ —and decides to go out and take a walk.

As he’s walking down a small abandoned pathway, he hears someone calling something after him and turns around only to see that Italian boy from the day that Cronus stormed off.

“ _E ‘voi! Bell sconosciuta, ci incontriamo di nuovo_ ,” he yells as he runs up to Kankri.“ _Non riuscivo a smettere di pensare del tuo bel viso. Avevo sperato di vedere ancora una volta._ ” Kankri and his Italian-trained mind easily translates: ‘It is you! Beautiful stranger, we meet again. I could not stop thinking of your beautiful face. I had hoped to see you again.’

“Oh, yes hello again,” Kankri smiles warily. “I’m sorry but I have to get going.” It’s not that Kankri feels uncomfortable with this particular stranger, it’s just that he feels uncomfortable around most people and therefore either needs Porrim with him or someone who’s willing to just sit and listen to him. He’s got neither.

“No please!” The boy begs as Kankri turns to walk away. “Sit with me?”

Kankri smiles warily but says, “I guess for a little while.” When he says a little while, he means it; no longer than five minutes. Something about this boy seems off… Kankri doesn’t usually get paranoid about most things, but this is one of the things that he _does_ get paranoid about. When his gut tells him something, he better damn well listen.

They sit down at the base of a tree and Kankri decides to steer the conversation into a comfortable direction, “W-what’s your name?”

“I am-a Jack,” the boy says with a charming, yet ultimately unnerving, smile. “Jack Noir.”

Kankri clears his throat before saying, “Hello Jack. I’m Kankri.”

“Kankri,” Jack says fondly, fluttering his eyes at Kankri in an unsuccessful attempt to woo him. Jack leans closer and Kankri shrinks back. Yeah, there was definitely something creepy about this dude. “You are so beautiful, Kankri.” Jack says quietly, “May I kiss you?”

“Uh… n-no…” Kankri’s eyes go wide and he tries to scoot backwards.

“Oh come on!” Jack says, grabbing Kankri’s arm so tightly that Kankri can tell it’s going to leave bruises. Jack leans closer again and Kankri can smell something rotten and gut-wrenching on his breath. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Please let go of me,” Kankri says in a panicked voice, desperately trying to yank his arm away. He can see this conversation taking a very, _very_ wrong turn and it scares him shitless.

“Why do you struggle?” Jack asks, pulling Kankri a little tighter causing him to cry out in pain. Kankri anxiously tries to get up, but Jack holds him down, pushing his back into the dirty, hard tree roots, and hovers over him.

“G-get off!” Kankri demands.

“Oh I will,” there’s a sick gleam in Jack’s eye as he leans down and tries to kiss Kankri who he turns his head to the side just in time to avoid being kissed. Kankri had been kissed before, but he had never done anything but that and it terrified him. In a situation like this, Kankri could see it was headed somewhere that would leave him feeling empty, sick, and guilty.

“ _Stop_!” Kankri screams.

“Quiet down, _mi amore_ ,” Jack says through gritted teeth, his hands closing around Kankri’s throat to make him black out.

“ _Help! Help me!_ ” Kankri screams helplessly, scratching at Jack’s hands.

“Shut up!” Then Jack kisses his jaw before covering his mouth and groping him. Kankri shrieks and an unhappy Jack reels back and punches him. Pain explodes behind Kankri’s eyes and he starts crying.

“Please! Get off of me!” He struggles to push Jack off of him, but the other boy is just too big and he’s just too weak. “Help! Porrim! Porrim! Cronus!” He doesn’t know what made him say Cronus’ name but it made him feel safe, even in this horrible situation. Thinking about Cronus puts him at ease and it’s something that he would never trade for the world.

Jack gropes him again and he screams as tears freely flow down his face. Before he knows it, Jack is suddenly being pulled off of him and he’s lying on the ground, completely out cold. Kankri sits up, hugging himself and shaking violently and crying impotently.

There’s someone on top of Jack (who isn’t even awake) and they’re beating the absolute shit out of them. It doesn’t register at first, but Kankri soon recognizes that it’s Cronus and that if this continues, there might be a murder charge on their hands. He stumbles to his feet and says, “Cronus, stop.”

Kankri is honestly afraid to touch Cronus in fear of being hit in the other boy’s blind rage, but he really doesn’t see another option. He takes another step forward, “Cronus please…” Kankri’s fingers brush the side of Cronus’ neck and the older boy immediately freezes, right fist in the air. One more time, Kankri repeats, “Please…”

Cronus slumps tiredly and stands up, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes, sighing. Kankri doesn’t know why but he turns Cronus around and steps forwards once again, wrapping his arms around Cronus’ waist. He lays his head to rest on the other boy’s chest, his hands comfortingly stroke down Cronus’ back.

After a few seconds, the hug is returned. Kissing the top of Kankri’s head and sighing in relief, Cronus feels Kankri’s tears soaking into his shirt and feels bad; he feels physically ill.  “Thank you,” Kankri murmurs.

“Are you okay?” Cronus asks him.

“I am now,” he admits with a little blush. Cronus pulls back a little, still keeping a protective hold on him and searches his face for any sign of immediate distress. He relaxes when he finds none and asks, “Do you wanna go back to the room?”

“I want to see Porrim.”

Cronus nods and then looks at Jack, “What do we do with him?”

Kankri’s eyes go cold as he looks over at the bloodied body in the middle of the road, “Normally I would suggest seeking medical attention, but for this situation? We can leave him here.” As they start to walk away, Cronus refuses to let Kankri walk without holding his hand as if afraid he’ll somehow get hurt again. Kankri loves it, but also finds the intensity of his affection to be overwhelming.

They arrive at Porrim’s room and knock on the door. After a few seconds, Porrim answers, looking pretty sleepy still. The second she notices the upset and terrified look on Kankri’s face, she immediately feels a little bit more awake. “Get in here now,” she demands.

They both walk in and Porrim takes note of the stony anger that’s hung on Cronus’ face, and she starts to understand that this is a very serious problem; she was used to Kankri coming to her with frustration or sadness on his face, but seeing it on Cronus as well? Not a good sign.

Kankri sits in one of the chairs and Cronus takes a standing spot directly next to him looking like some secret service agent who would take a bullet for the precious, beautiful person they were protecting. Well, that isn’t necessarily false.

“Cronus I’m okay now,” Kankri says, looking straight ahead. “We’re with Porrim…”

“Well I’m not okay no matter where we are,” Cronus admits in an irritated tone.

“Okay what the fuck happened?” Porrim asks.

Kankri clears his throat, “I was out walking—”

“Alone,” Cronus adds angrily.

“Cronus please,” Kankri says softly, looking up at him with sad eyes.

After a second Cronus says, “Sorry…”

“So you were out walking,” Porrim prompts.

“I was out walking, all by myself and that boy showed up,” the terror starts to return to his eyes and he shivers. “I tried to tell him that I needed to go but he wouldn’t let me. And he – he…”

“And he what?” Porrim asks frantically. “Kankri what did he do to you?”

“He was a fucking asshole that’s what,” Cronus says through gritted teeth. Kankri looks even more upset and Porrim glares at Cronus.

“If you open your mouth one more time, I’m going to kick your ass to the curb. Clearly you’re upsetting him, so you need to stop _now_.” Cronus rubs the back of his neck and turns around before sitting on the ground, pulling out his iPod and putting his headphones in. Porrim can see that he’s obviously very shaken and upset—very obsessive and protective of Kankri. She could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes.

“So tell me what happened, Kanny.” She says quietly, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands in hers.

Kankri starts to cry, “Porrim… he touched me.”

Porrim’s blood runs cold, “What do you mean he _touched you_?”

“He – you know what I mean! He _touched_ me, Porrim! I was so scared.”

“Where is he?” She asks in a deadly voice, “I’m going to kill him, I swear to Gog I’m gonna kill him.”

“Cronus almost did already.”

“Wait, what?” Porrim shakes her head disbelievingly.

“I was screaming and the next thing I knew, Cronus was there. He was pounding the stuffing out of that guy. I had to stop him or we might have been facing international murder charges.” Kankri sounds worried but his face is flushed and he’s obviously enjoying the fact that Cronus would be so protective of him.

“Oh Kanny,” Porrim smiles fondly at him.

“What?” Kankri asks, chewing on his lip.

“For being so intelligent, you’re so very blind.”

His brows furrow, “What are you talking about?”

Her voice drops so that Cronus won’t be able to hear, “Kankri, last night I talked with Cronus.”

“I know,” Kankri says just as quietly. “He called you.”

“No. Even before that,” she motions for him to get closer and he does even if it’s a bit begrudgingly. “I asked him if he liked you more than as just friends, and he became very defensive. Kan, he likes you. A lot. Hell, with the way he acted just now, I could even go so far as to say that that kid has fallen in love with you.”

“Porrim, stop it,” Kankri demands. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course I do,” she says dismissively. “He told me so himself!”

“He what?!”

“I know that you’ve got your virgin panties in a twist over him, so let him taken ‘em off.” She waggles her eyebrows and giggles at the incredulous expression is coaxes out of him.

“Porrim!” He says a little too loudly. Cronus suddenly glances at him with fear in his eyes. Porrim waves her hand to tell him to turn around again; he doesn’t look happy about it, but he does anyways.

“Kan, we’re in Italy,” she tells him with a smile. “This is one of the most romantic places on earth. I know how against sex you are, but he absolutely loves you.” The certainty in her voice makes him feel better, but he’s still afraid and doesn’t really believe her all that much. “He cares about you, and he knows that if he fucks you over in the wrong kind of way, I’ll extract his brain through his nose.”

They both laugh and Porrim lovingly strokes his hand, “Try kissing him. If it takes you somewhere you don’t want to go, let yourself first understand that he’s not going to hurt you, and then reevaluate how you feel. If you still don’t want to, then stop him. He’ll understand. He’ll wait for you.”

Kankri feels uncomfortable that he was being discussed behind his back (by his best friend and the boy he’s madly in-like with, no less), but he understands what she means. He still doesn’t believe her, but he understands where she’s coming from. “Okay. Okay…”

She nods and squeezes his hands before standing up, “You should go back to your room and take a nap,” she says. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“Porrim I just woke up,” he reminds her, standing as well.

“Yes but you’re emotionally fragile and you’ve just been through a lot.” Porrim shrugs and pulls him into a hug, “Besides, you have a lot to think about. Go back to your room. Take a nap. Maybe watch a movie. Do _not_ read a book. Do something mindless. Maybe even cuddle with your boy toy.”

“Porrim…” Kankri warns, pulling back from the hug.

“Fine. Just think about that last one,” she says with a sly smile. “But make sure you do the other ones for sure. I mean it, Kan. _No books_.”

 

***                    **                     *                       **                     ****

 

Cronus and Kankri are finally back in their room and are grateful to be there. Kankri has changed into sweatpants and has removed his sweater, just leaving him in his white t-shirt. Cronus has changed too; ankle socks, red basketball shorts, a wife beater, and a baseball hat on backwards. It is honestly the most attractive thing that Kankri has ever seen and it’s seriously distracting him… even his nether regions are becoming interested in the situation, but luckily enough he’s lying in bed with the covers pulled over his hips.

“Cronus, you don’t have to stay here,” Kankri says in a casual attempt to get him the fuck out of the room. “You can go out and do something.”

Cronus shrugs and sits on the edge of his bed, “Why would I want to?”

Unintelligibly, Kankri says the first thing that comes to his mind, “Because there are interesting things to do? Pretty girls to look at? I don’t know. What do you like to do?”

“First of all, there’s nothing interesting to do by myself unless I feel like looking for that guy and killing him.” Kankri grimaces and Cronus gives him a knowing look. “Secondly, there’s only one person that I want to look at, and they’re gorgeous, not pretty. And lastly, I like talking to you so why leave?”

“Well I’m not in the mood for talking,” he grumbles angrily.

“What? You? Not in the mood for talking?” The sarcasm is evident. “Ridiculous, Kankri.”

“I know it seems strange,” Kankri admits, “but I just want to watch Doctor Who.”

“I love Doctor Who,” Cronus tells him in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Wait… really?”

“Of course,” Cronus beams at him. “Remember our first morning here?” Oh yeah! That was when Kankri and Porrim were arguing about the best Doctor Who companion and both of their arguments were destroyed by Cronus’ argument on Captain Jack Harkness. Cronus scoots back a little and crosses his legs. “I’ve seen every episode.”

“Wow,” he replies stupidly. “Okay then.” Kankri picks up the remote and logs into Netflix. Then he looks at Cronus. “I was going to watch _Blink_.”

“That episode scares the shit out of me.” And the fear on Cronus’ face is so clear that it almost makes Kankri want to apologize and watch something like _New Earth_ or _Love & Monsters_. However, _Love & Monsters _scared the shit out of Kankri so…

He rolls his eyes and before he knows what he’s saying, he blurts out, “Well if you get scared, you can sit with me and I’ll protect you.”

“You’d better not be joking because I’m going to take you up on that offer,” Cronus laughs. Kankri blushes a little but he hits play. He gets up and shuts the blinds and when he turns around, Cronus is in his bed, getting comfortable under the blanket. Kankri laughs as he gets back in the bed and Cronus sticks his tongue out at him. When Kankri settles down, he notices that his leg just barely brushes Cronus’ and smiles a little. Then he looks at Cronus and gives him a look and the older boy laughs a little, “Hey I told you that this episode scared the shit out of me and you offered.”

“I suppose I did,” he smiles. A girl appears on the screen and Cronus lets out an unsettling noise, sinking a little bit farther into the sheets, his leg rubbing against Kankri’s. Kankri unconsciously leans closer to him until their sides are pressed against each other, but Cronus doesn’t say anything. After a few minutes, a stone angel appears on screen and Cronus cringes into Kankri’s side, his legs draping over Kankri’s, knees knocking together, and his face is nearly pressed into Kankri’s neck. Kankri blushes and his fists clench and unclench over the comforter, wanting to grab Cronus but refusing himself the desire. Kankri tries to look at Cronus, gently rubbing his cheek against Cronus’. “What makes you so scared of this episode?”

After a few seconds he answer, “I don’t completely discredit the existence of aliens and they scare the fuck out of me.”

Kankri smiles, “But… why?” He feels Cronus shrug and tries again, “What makes the Weeping Angels worse than any other Doctor Who villain? Aren’t Daleks just as bad?” Cronus sits up a bit straighter and wedges his shoulder between Kankri’s and the pillow, but his legs still wrap around Kankri’s.

“I guess the first time I saw this episode, I was emotionally unstable and it got me thinking…”

“A-about?” And he can tell how upset and anxious Cronus is getting (seeing as he is continually easing his way farther and farther between the pillow and Kankri), but he can’t help his curiosity.

“A few days before I watched _Blink_ , I uh… I realized that I had some rather strong feelings for someone I saw around campus.” He shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest defensively, “I thought about how I would feel if I was sent back to 1912 and how sad I’d feel if I never got the chance to say—” He stops suddenly, blushes, and looks away, shrinking back a little.

Kankri follows him, leaning forward, and resting his hand on Cronus’ forearm. His eyes get wide and Cronus gets lost in them for a second until Kankri says, “The chance to say…?”

“Um,” he looks down and quietly mumbles, “To say I-I love you.”

Kankri shrinks back a little, feeling utterly heartbroken; who is this amazing person who has won Cronus’ heart? Obviously it wasn’t him, even if Porrim said it was—she can lie sometimes, even in serious matters like this. “Oh…” he says in a defeated voice.

On the screen, there’s a sudden movement and Cronus flinches, leaning into Kankri and turning his face so quickly that their noses hit and they almost kiss. He pulls back, but not so much that they’re too far away—about three inches. “Sorry,” he says.

“It’s fine,” Kankri breathes, absently glancing down at his lips. “You were saying?”

“Yeah…” There’s an uncomfortable pause where Cronus doesn’t know if he should say what he’s thinking or if he should just make something up. He doesn’t want to tell the truth, but something in his gut tells him that the truth is the best option here. “I was going to say that I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance, y’know? To tell them.”

Kankri and ungracefully suggests, “I think you, uh, need to get it off your chest. Maybe just saying what you’re feeling will make it better. You don’t even have to say it to her.”

Cronus flushes, “It’s um, it’s – it’s not a _her_.”

“Oh…” Well that’s just great! Cronus is into guys and it’s not Kankri? Fantastic. It was one thing when Kankri assumed that Cronus was into girls; obviously he didn’t fit the criteria. Now that he knows it’s not a girl? Fuck. Kankri tries to settle down. “Then you don’t have to say it to him. Just, uh – just say it, y’know?”

“R-right, but… I don’t know how.”

“Tell me how he makes you feel,” Kankri suggests, inattentively stroking Cronus’ arm, searching his face for something of a sign, “How you feel about him.” Cronus nods and takes a deep breath.

“Okay. When I first saw him, I had no idea that I could even like a guy like that.” So that detail hurts a little, but Kankri will sit here and listen and be a big boy and he definitely won’t lock himself in the bathroom, turn on the shower, and then cry about it once this is over. Definitely not. “Everything about him was perfect, but there was one problem. He was so distant. Almost impossible to reach. I only wished that I could get his attention.”

 _You’re not the only one_ , Kankri thinks sadly.

“Not only is he far away, he’s so out of my league. I almost didn’t realize that people could even be that smart. I felt like I would feel so incredibly stupid if I were to talk to him. Still, every time I look at him, I can’t help but think to myself, ‘Fuck. I want to be with him so bad.’ I mean, I want to do everything to make him happy. I just don’t know how. I’m afraid of messing up my chances. Not only that, but I don’t even _know_ if he likes guys.” When Cronus is done, he’s just staring straight ahead looking really sad. Kankri is staring at him, mouth slightly open and completely in awe of how Cronus feels about this boy.

He still doesn’t believe Porrim about Cronus liking him so he sighs and his hand rests, his thumb rubbing up and down the crease of his elbow. He’s not looking at Cronus when he says, “I-I haven’t told this to anyone before but… I know how that feels.”

Cronus looks at him and cocks his head to the side, “Really?”

Kankri blushes, “Yeah. There’s this guy—”

“ _Guy_?” He asks in disbelief.

He turns even darker red, “Yes Cronus, can I please finish?”

“Sorry,” Cronus murmurs, his shoulder lightly bumping Kankri’s, which makes the smaller boy wince; Jack really did do some damage.

“Anyway, there’s this guy that I’ve grown obscenely fond of. I’ve _never_ liked someone like this. Not only is he way too – what’s the word? I guess ‘ _cool_ ’ is the closest term. So not only is he much too cool for me, but I feel like he wouldn’t be into an intellectually-obsessive person like me. And I think he’s so tragically beautiful. I don’t do him justice.”

Immediately, Cronus says, “Kankri, that’s ridiculous.”

Kankri looks up at him with a frown, “What?”

Cronus rolls his eyes, “You wouldn’t do him justice?! You’re – Kankri, you’re so—”

Feeling anxious and angry, Kankri says, “I’m so _what_?”

Cronus stares at him for a second before asking, “Kankri… Can I tell you something?”

“Sure,” Kankri replies quietly.

“I’m not really good at stuff like this so just… bear with me here.”

Okay now he’s really confused. “Good at what? What are you talk—”

“I like you, Kankri,” Cronus blurts out without his brain’s permission. He figures there’s no way to play it off as a joke, and he can’t take it back (especially when he means it) so he just goes with it. “I like you. A lot. I mean, I think I’m falling in love with you so fast and so hard that I barely have time to breathe.” Kankri is staring at him, face blank and he honestly can’t believe that Porrim wasn’t just messing with him.

This is actually happening.

Cronus notices how Kankri is staring at him and says, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He starts to move to get up, “I’ll just g—” Kankri’s legs don’t let him leave and he grabs Cronus’ arm, putting one finger over his lips to shut him up.

Cronus looks at him in shock, and Kankri can feel the other boy’s breath brush over his fingers. His hand slides to wrap around the back of Cronus’ neck, pulling him closer until their lips were barely brushing and their foreheads were resting together. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Kankri.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

The last inch between them disappears as Cronus slowly presses his lips against Kankri’s. His head tilts to the side and his arms wrap around Kankri’s waist. Their chests are so close and their hearts are beating so fast that they might just explode. Lips start to move as Kankri lightly grabs Cronus’ neck, fingertips running through the hair at the base of his neck.

Cronus lightly nips at Kankri’s bottom lip, and after a second of hesitation he is granted access; his tongue snakes its way into the younger boy’s mouth, eagerly feeling out every inch of the foreign area. Cronus notes the hint of vanilla and mint toothpaste and suddenly it’s the most arousing taste he’s ever experienced.

A light moan of content breaks from Kankri’s lips and Cronus eats it up immediately, rolling over so that he’s hovering above Kankri, straddling him. Delicate fingers apply soft pressure down Cronus’ chest, feeling every muscle ripple under their touch, and it’s just so goddamned _good_.  Light but sensual kisses make their way across Kankri’s jaw and down his neck, licking and kissing their way to the sensitive skin at the hollow of his collarbone.

For some strange reason, Kankri suddenly has a flashback to earlier that morning when Jack had him pinned to the ground and kissed his neck. In a fit of panic, Kankri starts to push Cronus away, “Stop! Please stop!”

Cronus immediately stops and pulls back to look down at him, “Are you okay, Kan? What did I do?” Feeling horrible embarrassment bubble its way to the surface, Kankri covers his face with his hands and attempts to calm his breathing down. What the hell is wrong with him? Cronus wouldn’t ever hurt him! Porrim even made it a point to mention that something like this might happen and before he freaked out, he should use his usually-sensible logic to determine if there’s a real reason he should be scared, or if he’s just being a giant whining ball of shit.

“Nothing,” he murmurs.

Cronus scoffs, “Obviously it’s not _nothing_.” Kankri doesn’t have to look to know that Cronus is rolling his eyes right now. It’s just something he knows.

“No, I mean – _you_ didn’t do anything wrong,” he peeks out through his fingers at the other boy’s concerned face and feels his heart clench. “You’re fine. It’s – It’s me.”

“I don’t understand,” Cronus admits sadly.

“It’s just – this morning,” Kankri’s hands slide through his hair as he shakes his head to clear his thoughts. If there’s anything he’s learned recently, it’s that he reacts to things in a very different way than everyone else. That isn’t exactly a bad thing, he needs to get his head out of his ass since right now, it’s stuck way up in there.

“Kankri,” Cronus says despondently as he rolls off of Kankri. As he talks, he absentmindedly fixes his hat, drawing all attention away from the words he’s saying, “I am so sorry that I let that happen to you.”

It takes an awkward second for Kankri to realize that Cronus had even said something to him, let alone the actual words that left his mouth. “It’s not your fault.”

“I know but…” his face is frustrated. “I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault somehow.”

“You didn’t hurt me.” Kankri reaches out and interlocks his fingers with Cronus. “I know that you would never hurt me. If I do not blame you, then you should not blame yourself. _I_ was the one to be stupid enough to think that taking a walk alone in a foreign country was smart.”

“I know!” Cronus squeezes his fingers lightly. “I just – if I had taken Porrim’s advice and just told you _yesterday_ how I felt, maybe you wouldn’t have been alone.” Kankri can’t believe the honesty and care that Cronus is showing him; there are legitimate tears in the other boy’s eyes and he has never felt more loved in his entire life.

“Mr. Ampora,” Kankri smiles fondly and pulls Cronus towards him until he can reach his lips and kisses him softly. They pull apart, and with his free hand he carefully wipes away the tears that have escaped onto Cronus’ cheeks. “I am not positive as to the exact date that you caught my attention, but I am grateful that you did. I have felt things for people before but not like this. I am not positive as to what love feels like, but maybe – maybe this is it.”

When Cronus puts his hands on either side of Kankri’s face, the younger boy wraps his hands around Cronus’ wrists, gently rubbing his thumb across the back of Cronus’ hands. Soft lips place a firm kiss on Kankri’s forehead. And then on both of his cheeks, both of his eyelids, the corners of his mouth, his jaw, and finally his mouth.

“Kan, I need you to know that I would never even dream of hurting you. Even saying it makes me feel wrong. If you want me to stop, I’ll stop. Anytime, you say the word and I’m done.”

A furious blush spreads across Kankri’s face when he mutters, “I-I don’t want you to stop. I just need you to be patient with me.”

Cronus’ face melts into a smile of relief, “Kankri, I will wait for you forever. But I want to warn you of my insane jealousy and over-protectiveness.”

“Does it get worse than this?” He asks, not really wanting an answer.

“I’m ashamed you even have to ask.” They both laugh and lean in to kiss one more time. However, that’s as far as it gets. As Kankri lies against his pillows, Cronus wraps his arms around him, (very, _very_ gently) resting his head on Kankri’s chest while the younger boy traces patterns over his cheek and neck. Cronus squirms at the ticklish sensation and kisses the part of Kankri that he can reach; his wrist.

“We don’t have to watch _Blink_ anymore,” Kankri murmurs softly. “We can watch a different show if you want. Or a movie, perhaps?”

“Whatever you want,” Cronus says with a light squeeze of the waist.

“I want _you_ to tell me what you want to watch.”

Cronus looks up at him and says, “Your beautiful face.” Kankri blushes and gets all flustered, gently smacking Cronus’ cheek.

“Now stop it, Cronus. I’m serious.”

“So am I, Kan!” Cronus exclaims, looking up at him with awe and wonder in his eyes. Then he winks and says, “You’re gorgeous, doll.” Kankri (still flustered and blushing) doesn’t know what to say, so he takes Cronus’ hat off and puts it on himself; it’s too big for him, and kinda tilts to the side. “Now you’re just adorable,” Cronus informs him.

“Oh hush,” Kankri says with another gentle slap to the cheek. “Tell me what you want to watch… on _Netflix_.”

“What’s in your queue?”

“Uh…” Kankri scans his queue and lists off the shows, “There’s How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural, Evil Dead, House of Cards, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Hunger Games, Arrested Development, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, The Cabin in the Woods, When Harry Tries to Marry, Bones, The Office, Once Upon a Time, Family Guy, Bobs Burgers, The Avengers, American Horror Story, Dexter, The Breakfast Club, Parks and Recreation—”

“I’ve never watched American Horror Story,” Cronus admits with a shrug.

“Then we _need_ to watch that.” Kankri puts on the Pilot episode and settles back, enjoying the warmth of another person radiating through his body.

It’s a little while later when…

“Hey, Cronus?” Kankri asks quietly, gently shaking his shoulder. “Cronus?” The older boy grumbles a little and tightens his arms around Kankri’s waist and presses his face into Kankri’s stomach. Kankri smiles and runs his fingers through Cronus’ hair, massaging his scalp a little. Cronus lets out a deep purr-like sound of happiness and it makes Kankri laugh. “C’mon,” he says. “I’m pretty much starving, and I know you can hear my stomach complaining.”

“You’re so comfortable,” Cronus mutters, kissing Kankri’s stomach and nuzzling in deeper.

Kankri’s irritation and hunger over-powers his fondness for Cronus when he says, “I’m also extremely hungry and I’m trying to be polite instead of hitting you repeatedly, which I am now seriously contemplating.”

“Fine,” Cronus yawns and sits up, stretching a little and smiling tiredly at Kankri. “You’re so beautiful,” Cronus says.

Kankri flushes, “Why do you say that?”

“Well, first of all… it’s true,” Cronus says it like it’s common knowledge or something. “Secondly, until now I haven’t been able to tell you how lovely you are, and now that I can, I’m going to take advantage of that as much as possible. Thirdly, it makes you blush and you’re cute when you blush.”

“No I’m not!” Kankri says defiantly.

“Kankri, do I have to sit here and list off all of the things that make you beautiful?”

“Please do not do that,” he begs with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“I feel like I should,” Cronus clears his throat. “You have absolutely beautiful black hair. Sometimes you wear thick-framed glasses that make you look kind of nerdy, but in an adorable way. You wear big, comfy red sweaters and black skinny jeans, and not to be crude but it doesn’t hurt that you have an incredible ass and your legs are practically chiseled out of marble. You’re soft-spoken, and you’re shy, and you’re mysterious, and you’re everything I find interesting.”

Kankri is really nervous, flustered, and altogether… in love. Cronus grabs Kankri’s right arm, very gently because of the forming bruise there, and turns it slightly, admiring the beautiful tattoo on the back of his forearm. “Kankri, I love you.”

“I like you a lot too,” Kankri says with a loving smile.

“Maybe one day?” Cronus says hopefully.

“One day,” Kankri agrees. “I don’t know if you remembered me saying that the boy I grew _obscenely fond of_ was tragically beautiful, but I wasn’t lying.” Cronus leans forward, kisses Kankri quickly, and takes his hat back, putting it back on backwards.

“I’m really not that good looking.” And the sad thing is, Kankri can tell that he’s being completely honest; the boy really doesn’t know how fucking _gorgeous_ he is.

“Cronus, pardon my language but… are you fucking _shitting_ me right now?”

“What?” Cronus asks in a worried tone.

“You’re – I mean, you’re…” Kankri can’t even find the words to begin to explain how his appearance makes him feel inside. It’s like his legs turn to jelly and his stomach twists into a knot and his heart leaps into his throat. If that doesn’t prove anything, than what will? “Jegus Christ you’re the most lovely, gorgeous, striking, attractive, and charming human being that I have ever laid eyes on.” Cronus smiles a little (the kind that young kids give their parents on New Year’s Eve and Christmas; the kind that yells Oh-Gog-This-Is-The-Most-Amazing-And-Mind-Blowing-Thing-That-Has-Ever-Happened-To-Me).

“Really?” He asks in disbelief.

Kankri blushes but doesn’t look away, “Of course.” Cronus smiles and just stares at him with such love and compassion that it almost hurts Kankri’s heart to look at. The clock says 4:30 and it’s surprising. That means that they’ve spent a majority of their day sleeping or watching American Horror Story—Kankri isn’t complaining, but he’s starving.

“Hey, d’you wanna get something to eat?” Cronus asks before he stands up and stretches a bit more, his shirt pulling up just to expose the elastic on his boxers and the delicious V-shape of the muscles in his hips. Kankri sits there, staring at Cronus’ incredibly perfect abs and just-muscular-enough chest and arms; he absently licks his lips and bites the bottom one. Cronus looks down at himself and then at Kankri and a grin creeps across his face.  “Can I help you, Kankri?”

Kankri’s in a little bit of a daze and doesn’t have time to stop himself from saying, “I just kinda wanna spend a thousand years licking your abs…” When he realizes what he’s said, he blushes in mortification. Cronus’ fucking abs though. “Please forget I said that.”

“Not a chance,” Cronus replies with a wink.

“Can we just – can we just go eat?” Kankri asks moodily as he pulls back the covers and slides to the edge of the bed, his feet dangling just a few inches above the ground.

“I’m ready when you are, love.” Cronus grabs his hands and pulls him to his feet. The gesture was touching, but Kankri is still sore everywhere and winces a little. “Oh Gog, are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine,” he says. “I promise. It’s not your fault.” He can tell that Cronus doesn’t believe him and squeezes his hands to comfort him.  “I just have to change,” Kankri tells him, walking over to the dresser. He pulls out his sweater and pulls it over his head. Then he pulls out his black jeans and stands there for a second. After thinking about it for a second, he smiles nervously at Cronus and then walks towards the bathroom. “I’ll be right back…”

It only takes thirty seconds and Kankri is out of the bathroom, throwing his sweatpants on the bed and pulling his shoes on. Cronus hasn’t changed but is now wearing old blue chucks and a ratty old sweatshirt over his wife beater. Again, it is the most attractive thing Kankri has ever seen; for some reason, seeing Cronus dress like a douchebag who spends all his time smoking marijuana and fucking shit up during the late hours of the night really turns Kankri on.

Cronus smiles at him and holds the door open for him. Kankri blushes for the thousandth time that afternoon and leaves the room. When they’re in the elevator alone, Cronus nervously says, “Before we go, I just wanted to ask… Are we – is this a date?”

“Oh. I-I’m not really sure,” his eyebrows knit together. “Why?”

He shrugs casually, “I was just wondering because I want to know how adamantly I’ll have to fight you about paying for dinner.”

Kankri’s jaw drops incredulously, “Did you really think I’d let you pay for me?!”

“I’m ashamed you even have to ask,” he smiles as the elevator reaches the ground floor and dings lightly. The doors open and Cronus leads the way.

 

***                    **                     *                       **                     ****

“Dinner was nice,” Kankri murmurs as he and Cronus walk along a little deserted street.

“No comments about the bill?” Kankri sighs in frustration and Cronus laughs.

“I was trying not to think about it,” he replies moodily. “I still can’t believe that you picked the most expensive restaurant we could find around here, and then told me to order whatever I wanted. I was three seconds away from saying that I wasn’t hungry and just eating the complimentary bread on the table.”

“I’m glad you ate,” Cronus says, bumping Kankri’s shoulder a little.

“So am I,” Kankri says with a little smile. Cronus stops walking and looks out over a field of grass and wild flowers. It really is beautiful, especially with the sun setting and all. Kankri stands next to him and sighs again, but this time it’s in content. When Cronus looks at him, there’s a second where he can’t breathe; the dim of the setting sun washes over Kankri’s features, bathing him in golden light. His normally green eyes now shine a bright red-ish gold colour and Cronus decides that this is the perfect time to do it; now is the perfect time to ask Kankri.

“Hey Kan?” Cronus asks nervously.

“Hmm?” Kankri asks obliviously, turning to look at him with wide innocent eyes.

“Oh Gog,” Cronus mumbles under his breath. “I, uh – I have a question.” _Well okay, that’s really fucking smooth, Cronus_ , he thinks to himself.

“Yes, Cronus?” Jegus Christ; just the way that Kankri says his name makes Cronus want to melt into warm chocolaty goodness and disappear so that he can die happy and pleased.

This boy is absolutely perfect in a million flawed ways.

“I like – um…” For some absurd reason he just can’t function around Kankri, especially when it comes to directly confessing what he’s feeling. “You know how I feel about you. You know – you know that I love – that I, er, love you, right?” He coughs a little and scratches the back of his head, blushing. Kankri can’t understand how Cronus could possibly be flustered around _him_ , the lowly bookworm who’s never had anyone show interest in him before. What makes Kankri appealing to him? It’s impossible for him to understand.

“I know, Cronus,” Kankri smiles and it makes Cronus’ heart clench.

“Right now I can’t r-really think of, uhm,” he wipes his sweaty palms on his shorts and hiccups a little. “I can’t really think of anything in the world – the entire _universe_ actually, there’s nothing that I want – that I _need_ more than you.” Cronus takes a deep breath and shakes his head to clear his thoughts. “I – I don’t really think that we, uh. I mean, the you – and I wanted to ask. I’m not good at th-this, especially around you. I mean, you’re – please… Jegus.”

“Are you okay?” Kankri asks, reaching out and touching his arm lightly. If Cronus was distracted before, this definitely didn’t help at _all_.

“No, I mean – fine. I’m fine but, I can’t—”

“Cronus,” Kankri says uneasily. “I’m extremely concerned for your current state of mental health. Please just say whatever it is you want to say.” He rubs Cronus’ shoulder comfortingly and nods sympathetically.

“You leave me s-so tongue tied, Kan. I can’t think of – can I… you… a relationship, maybe?” He covers his face with his hands in degradation and feels his skin burning with anxiety. Kankri pulls his hands away from his face and stands there for a second before a smile slowly creeps across his features. He takes a step to close the gap between them and raises himself up on his tiptoes, pressing his lips to Cronus’.

“I’m ashamed you even have to ask,” Kankri murmurs against Cronus’ smiling mouth. They pull away and intertwine their fingers effortlessly and head back to their room in long-needed bliss.

When they finally get to the room, a very tired Kankri flops onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling; a lot of things have happened today. Kankri got attacked and molested by some sick freak; Cronus practically smothered him with insane protectiveness; Porrim tortured him with thoughts of things he didn’t think were possible; his mental abuse to himself in order to figure out what was happening with Cronus; he had to restrain himself from jumping Cronus’ bones or passing out; he found out that the boy he grew fond of was quite fond of him as well; then he got… well. Then he got a boyfriend.

“Are you gonna change?” Cronus asks him, raising one eyebrow.

“’M too tired,” Kankri admits with a tiny yawn. He feels Cronus climb on the bed to lean over him. There’s a devious smile on Cronus’ face and it gives Kankri a bad feeling. No. Not exactly _bad_ , but Kankri knows when to recognize that look.

“Well I’m not too tired to take your clothes off…” Kankri blushes as Cronus’ hand trails slowly up his thigh and rests just below the hem of his sweater. It stays there, his fingertips tickling the skin of Kankri’s stomach. His back arches and he bites his bottom lip, staring up into Cronus’ eyes.

“Shit Kankri,” Cronus says, his eyes darkening with lust. Leaning down and kissing Kankri, Cronus’ hand slides up under the shirt in order to stroke across the smooth skin of a soft belly and comfortable chest. Kankri pulls Cronus’ hat off and throws it on the floor so he can run his hands through the other boy’s hair, tugging lightly. Cronus’ tongue licks into his mouth, somehow coaxing a moan out of him which only encourages the kiss to grow deeper and slower. He takes Kankri’s tongue into his mouth and sucks on it suggestively.

Kankri lets out a breathy, high-pitched gasp and grabs Cronus’ sweater, tugging on it a little. “Off…” he murmurs into the other boy’s mouth.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Cronus tells him between kisses. Kankri nods frantically and they both make haste in removing the respective items of clothing. Cronus wastes no time in diving back into Kankri’s delicious skin, like fully enveloping himself in sunshine and puppies. He pays special, gentle attention to the bruises on the sides of his ribs, on his sternum, and the hand marks around his neck.

Cronus kisses a sore jaw, nibbles at his earlobe, and devours the sensitive skin right behind the ear until Kankri is a mewling, squirming, moaning mess who is grasping at Cronus like he’s the only air left in the universe. Cronus kisses his way to the dip of Kankri’s bellybutton. The younger boy lies with his eyes closed, petting Cronus’ hair softly and massaging his head every once in a while.

Cronus licks and nips his way back up Kankri’s chest to his neck, but hesitates when he remembers Kankri’s previous reaction to this particular part of his body. Kankri must be able to tell that Cronus is conflicted because he hugs Cronus close to him and kisses the top of his head. With a shuddering breath he says, “I trust you and you alone to take care of me.”

Cronus smiles before ducking his head and running his tongue along the curve of Kankri’s collar bone, lightly nipping at the skin in between. Every so often, Cronus would lick or kiss a really sensitive spot and Kankri would let out a gasp or a cute little porn-star moan, and after a couple of minutes, they were both obviously fully invested in the current situation. Cronus pulls Kankri a little farther up the bed and straddles him, leaning down and kissing him once again. Cronus’ hips grind down on Kankri’s causing them both to moan into the other’s mouth.

“Fuck,” Cronus mumbles sloppily against Kankri’s lips. “Kankri…” he pants, grinding down again and rolling his hips back and forth.

“Y-yeah? Sh-shit…” a long guttural moan escapes him.

“I can’t—”

“I know,” Kankri grabs Cronus’ hips and pulls down, rolling up into them. Kankri wants to cry from how good it feels and Cronus cannot believe that the wanting, horny mess below him is actually a preacher’s son. Oh Gog. He’s gonna blow a preacher’s son…

“I’m only gonna go when you say, Kan.” He pants, closing his eyes tightly.

“I want to,” Kankri admits weakly. “I’m just scared.”

“Darlin’, I’m comfortable just touching you until we both see stars. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“I wouldn’t regret it,” he says quietly. “Not with you. Never with you.”

“I love you,” Cronus says, kissing his forehead.

“I like you a lot too,” Kankri sighs happily.

“Tell me what you want,” Cronus says quietly, rolling his hips on Kankri’s and sucking his neck. When he pulls back and looks down, he’s impressed at the dark circle that’s accumulated right below his ear and smirks to himself. _Not bad_ …

“C-Cronus,” Kankri moans.

“I’m right here,” Cronus reassures him with a light nip. He sighs again. Cronus asks once more, “Tell me what you want.”

“N-no… It’s embarrassing,” he looks away. His cheeks red from more than just being turned on.

“Kankri, you’re damn sexy as shit to me no matter what you say or do.” Cronus reaches between them and palms over Kankri’s cock, reveling in its thick girth and the reaction it brings from… well. From his boyfriend.

Hyperventilating and thrusting into Cronus’ hand, Kankri stutters. “I – I-I don’t care. It’s still embarrassing.”

“Then I’ll just sit here. Slowly licking your throat. Grinding down on you at an agonizing rate. Is that what you want?”

“No!” Kankri squeaks. “I mean, it w-wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…”

“Tell me what you want, Kankri,” Cronus’ voice is thick like velvet and sweet like honey. It’s got a gravely tone to it from smoking but it’s also as smooth as his skin. His voice is reserved, driving Kankri crazy with want, but it also has a certain wanting in it which makes Kankri want to leave him here a sniveling pile of hormones and a need to get him off.

“T-take off m-my p-pants,” he says after a minute.

“Your wish is my command.” Cronus goes back to kissing him and his fingers fumble with the button and the zipper, but in a matter of seconds, Cronus is yanking Kankri’s jeans off and staring at the rather impressive tent that has accumulated in his boxers. Kankri, feeling exposed, turns bright red and tries to cover himself up. Cronus frowns and grabs his knees, pushing outwards and spreading his legs. Kankri yelps slightly and covers his face with his hands, desperately wishing he could just disappear.

“Kankri,” he hears Cronus say. “I think you are so sexy and so beautiful. I just wish you saw yourself the way I do.”

Kankri sighs in annoyance, “Until three years ago, I never even let myself think of anything sexual at all,” he murmurs between his hands.

“The sad part is, I completely believe that.” Kankri makes a noise of anger and Cronus can see a small pout form under Kankri’s palms.

“Cronus, you suck.” Suddenly he feels something hot and damp close around the head of his cock from outside his underwear and lets out one of the loudest moans he’s ever made. He looks down; Cronus’ head is between his legs and his mouth is that amazing hot, wet sensation he feels on his dick. Cronus’ eyes meet his and he lets out another moan, this time it sounds more like a whimper.

“I suck, do I?” Cronus asks with a sly grin.

“Yes,” Kankri whines. “Please…” Cronus smiles wickedly at him and moves back up to kiss him. His fingers hook on the elastic of Kankri’s underwear and yank them off in one smooth motion. Kankri’s erection slaps his stomach and he hisses slightly but the hiss melts into a whimper when Cronus wraps his hand around it and squeezes lightly.

“Relax,” Cronus mumbles into his mouth. Kankri nods slowly and Cronus kisses his way down Kankri’s body, stopping when he’s face to face with Kankri’s impressive, thick, throbbing cock that’s shiny and leaking with precome. Kankri refuses to watch, so it’s a surprise when Cronus’ tongue darts out and swipes the head of his cock, flicking over the slit and causing Kankri’s hips to twitch and a cry of pleasure to escape his lips. Cronus slowly sinks down until _all_ of Kankri’s cock is buried in his throat.

“Oh my Gog, oh my Gog, oh my Gog…” Kankri pants over and over again, not stopping himself from glancing down and meeting Cronus’ smoldering eyes. Kankri’s thighs tremble and his hands snake their way into Cronus’ hair. When Cronus swallows, the muscles contract and cause Kankri to let out a low, guttural moan, thrusting his hips upward. Cronus holds them down and pulls off, pressing his tongue to the vein on the underside of Kankri’s dick.

“Shit,” Kankri breathes, squeezing his fists in Cronus’ hair. “Holy fucking shit.” Cronus pulls off completely, spitting into his hand and grabbing hold of Kankri’s erection, pumping up and down at an incredibly slow rate, squeezing every once in a while, making Kankri gasp and squirm. Cronus moves back up to kiss Kankri’s neck, paying special attention to his erogenous areas.

“Fuck yeah,” Kankri moans breathily, thrusting frantically into Cronus’ hand. “Yeah, shit – Gog. Jegus fucking Christ! Yeah, like that. Just like that, fuuuuuck. Oh _Gog_ Cronus.” Cronus hums his approval and speeds up his hand, pumping furiously and squeezing so hard it almost hurts. Cronus shifts and starts to rut his hips up against Kankri’s thigh. The smooth fabric of his shorts is an amazing contrast to the calloused, rough feeling of Cronus’ hands.

“Cronus,” he moans. “I think I’m—” he gasps and tenses, his entire body going stiff. Spurts of come decorate Kankri’s stomach and Cronus’ hand. Cronus works him through his entire orgasm, still dry humping his leg like a fucking animal or something. After a few seconds he lets go and goes limp, moaning deeply and rolling off of Kankri, panting heavily.

“That,” Kankri breathes, “was… wow.” For a while all he can do is stare up at the ceiling with dilated pupils and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Cronus groans in a garbled-by pillows voice. Kankri sits up and frowns down at the white substance on his stomach. He pulls his boxers up from around his ankles and slides off of the bed, stumbling towards the bathroom. He grabs a towel and wipes his stomach as he makes his way back to the bed. He gives Cronus the towel and he wipes his hands. Kankri sits and pauses for a second, looking at Cronus with wide eyes. “Did you—”

“Come in my pants?” He asks casually. “Yes…” Kankri makes a face and leans forward to kiss him before getting off the bed and lying in Cronus’ bed.

“That can’t be comfortable,” he says once he’s settled.

“No. It’s not. Why’re you over there?” Cronus complains.

He shrugs, “I’m tired but you’re laying on my bed.”

“Asshole,” Cronus teases, standing up and starting to take his clothes off. Kankri, who would normally turn red and look away, just lies still. His eyes follow Cronus around the room; he watches as the older boy throws his dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. He studies the curves of Cronus’ body and the way he moves. The way he walks. It has a certain beauty and grace that Kankri has never possessed and probably never will.

“Do you want me to turn the lights off?” Cronus asks once he’s dressed in a new pair of underwear, shorts, and t-shirt.

“Yes please.” The room goes dark and Kankri hears a shuffling and then the sound of a blanket being moved, but he doesn’t feel anything.

“Why are you getting into my bed?” Kankri asks tiredly.

“I don’t know,” Kankri can practically hear Cronus shrugging. “Why? Should I not be getting into this bed?”

“You imbecile,” Kankri mutters. “Please come here.” Cronus gets up and trips over his feet in the dark as he tries to get to Kankri.

“Motherfuck, _ow_ …” However, Kankri can’t help but snicker. “Shut up, jerk!”

“It’s funny!” He laughs. “Besides, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you had just come here in the first place.”

“Yeah whatever…” The next thing Kankri knows, there’s something heavy landing on his legs. He lets out an _oof!_ and smiles when he hears the deep, warm chuckle that Cronus lets out. His hands find Cronus’ head and he strokes it fondly. Cronus pulls Kankri close and kisses him sweetly.

“I’m cold,” Kankri tells him.

“Tell me what you want, love.”

“Fix it…” It takes a bit of squirming and shifting but Cronus finally gets under the covers and cuddles up behind Kankri, wrapping one arm around him and kissing his neck firmly.

“I love you, Kan.”

“I like you a lot too.”

 

***                    **                     *                       **                     ****

The very next day, Kankri and Cronus sit with Porrim at breakfast and she gasps.

“Kanny! What is that? Is that a **_hickey_** on _your_ _neck_?!” She looks ecstatic. Slowly, Kankri turns to look at Cronus with eyes that could kill. Yeah, he had forgotten to mention that to his beloved boyfriend.

“Oops?” Cronus says, smiling guiltily and shrugging.

“I…” he starts calmly. “Am going. To _kill you!_ ” Eyes turn towards them as Kankri chases Cronus—still holding a cup of coffee and has a piece of toast hanging out of the corner of his mouth—out of the room and down the hallway.

“C’mon Kanny! I love you babe!”

“You are so dead, Ampora!”


End file.
